Brothers

These are the pictures we had taken of our boys together. They are my favorites of all the pictures we had taken. My boys are so sweet together.

Last week I was washing dishes while Dylan was playing and Austin was sleeping in the baby swing. Austin started crying and Dylan instantly ran into the room to report that Austin was crying. By the time I dried my hands and came into the other room Dylan was already standing next to the swing gently holding Austin's hand. Austin actually stopped crying for a couple minutes. It was so sweet!

Dylan also wants to include Austin as much as possible for story time and play time. He makes sure that Austin has a dinosaur or car near him even though he knows that he is too little to play. Soon I will have to be careful of all the little choking hazards that are being shared, but for now I just love that he is doing what he knows to include Austin in the things he enjoys!

Another thing that I love about my two boys together are the explanations that Dylan gives for Austin's cries. Here are some of my favorites:

• "He wants his milkies Mom"
• "He doesn't want Daddy to go to work Mom"
• "He just wanted that other Dinosaur"

Too cute!

3

Our sweet Dylan had his 3 year check up at the doctor. He sat very still for the first time while the nurse checked his temperature and blood pressure and actually cooperated getting his height and weight measurements. This is a big change for him. We did not even get height or weight measurements when he turned 2 because he was so upset. He is at the 75% for both height and weight. He weighs 35 lbs and is 38.75 '' tall.

We also also got these pictures taken of our handsome guy! I love that he will say cheese and actually sit still for a few seconds for a picture. It is still a challenge to catch a good picture but at least now we do not always have a moving (ie.running) target.

Dylan's pediatrician said that he calls 3 the, "I can do it, I can do it, hold me, hold me" age. This perfectly matches Dylan's attitude lately. I've heard that this age is especially challenging because it is a big transition year from toddler to big kid. Dylan is still more on the toddler side, but he wants to be independent at the same time. I just pray I have the patience to survive this stage and manage to get him potty trained before August so he can go to preschool again next year.

Even though Dylan is a typical 3 year old boy doing his job to challenge us as parents he is also very loving and gentle. He is an awesome big brother and does surprisingly well sharing and playing with others. He loves music and singing. It is amazing how he can hear a song and instantly pick up the words and sing them back. I love getting to learn all the songs they sing at preschool in Music each week. I hope to post a video sometime soon of him singing the caterpillar song. My favorite! Hope you enjoy the pictures and the update on our precious Dylan!

2 Weeks Already!

Today we had Austin's 2-week checkup and found out what we already suspected... this boy knows how to eat! He was 9.0 pounds at birth and now weighs 10.4 lbs. That's nearly a 16% weight increase in just 2 weeks. He is starting to fill out in all the cute places and is looking more and more like Dylan did as a newborn. Most likely due to all of his eating, Austin is a very good sleeper for such a little guy. The only problem is that he really loves the milk and wants to eat quite often, so we aren't getting very much sleep yet. We love having him with us though, especially his big brother.

Dylan is 3!

Our little, bouncing boy turned 3 years old today! Sometimes it is hard to believe that it has been 3 years already. Dylan has officially left his infant/baby days behind him and is a full-fledged toddler. He has brought such joy into our lives and we love him absolutely. We think he is going to be a great big brother and look forward to the boy he will become.

But for now, we are just trying to cherish this time when he still kisses us goodnight, sings Disney songs at the top of his lungs, takes naps, reads stories with us, let's us cuddle him, if only for a few moments, holds our hands and swings, runs into our arms when we pick him up from school, makes us think we really are super hero parents, and depends on us for everything.

To celebrate the big occasion, we had a special friend birthday party for Dylan on Saturday the 9th. We invited boys from Dylan's class, kids from the neighborhood, and others that Dylan has befriended in his few short years. Naturally, we had a dinosaur themed party with a dinosaur fossil dig in the sandbox, dinosaur stickers for making pictures, dinosaur cookies for decorating, dinosaur tattoos, a dinosaur egg hunt, a great dinosaur cake, dinosaur chicken nuggets for the kids, and dinosaur plates, napkins, and balloons for decoration. It was great. Here are a few picture highlights from the party.

The Cake!

Candles Are Lit

The Candle Extinguisher

Dino Bone Digging

Good Buddies

Happy Birthday Dylan! We Love You!

Austin Has Arrived!

We are very pleased to announce that Austin Michael Connors was born Wednesday, March 30th, at 2:26 AM. He weighed 9 lb 0 oz at birth and is 21 inches long. He came out with a full (well, full for a baby) head of blond hair, just like his big brother Dylan. Crystal is recovering very well and we all were able to come home from the hospital this afternoon.

Crystal was truly amazing during the birthing process. She woke me up around 12:30 AM after having "a few sharp pains", which quickly turned into full contractions, less than 2 minutes apart, by the time we were rushing to the hospital at 1:00 AM. She managed to walk from the car to OB Triage, where they quickly determined she was at 8 cm and ready to go. We took the fast track to Labor and Delivery, where we were greeted with 6 nurses and 2 doctors getting ready for delivery. After about 30 minutes of more severe contractions, her water broke and then a short (but painfully long for Crystal) 10 minutes later, Austin was born. He cried out like a good newborn should and we were all overjoyed. Even the midwife who helped deliver Austin called it "such an exciting delivery".

Austin was able to eat right away and has been eating and sleeping well ever since. We are very excited to have him at home, where he won't be poked or prodded every 10 minutes and we can finally try to get some sleep. Dylan was able to come to the hospital for a visit after his nap yesterday. He loved meeting his baby brother and was excited to see his mommy and daddy again. Unfortunately, he came down with a bit of the stomach flu later in the night, so we have had to curb his enthusiasm to spend time with his little brother until he is feeling better. He already loves being a big brother though. His preschool class decorated a sign for Austin yesterday and made Dylan a "Big Brother" crown to wear. It was very sweet.

Here are some pictures of Austin's first day on the outside...

Austin a few minutes old (bad flash Dad!)


My amazing wife about to take Austin to our room


The whole family

Crystal and her boys

Big Brother snuggling Little Brother

Overdue Blues

Yesterday March 26th was my due date. We have had a month now of anticipating our little Austin's arrival every day. He sure fooled me with all the cramping and early contractions that I've felt. I am now scheduled to be induced April 2nd at 7:30 pm if he doesn't arrive before then. I really hope it happens naturally before then. In the meantime we've been continuing our fun around town. Last Thursday Scott and I got a taste of life with two kiddos when we took Dylan and his friend Hunter to the Explora Childrens Museum. We had a lot of fun and ended up with some great pictures. Scott made this cool picture collage of the boys.

Just Cheeky

Yesterday at my checkup they did an ultrasound to make sure that Austin was in the right position for delivery. He is such a wiggly worm that we couldn't tell for sure if his head was still down. The ultrasound confirmed that he is in the correct position. Yeah! The 3-D ultrasound picture makes me laugh. Austin looks so grumpy. The picture is a bit distorted because it is so tight in there. Here is the picture:

Ultrasound of Austin running out of room!

Just for fun here is a picture of Dylan the day he was born.
Oh how I love my cheeky boys :)

One comment that the ultrasound tech said was, "Wow, look at those long feet!"

Austin I can't wait to meet you!

Out & About

This week we have been squeezing in as many outings as we can manage. Each day that I'm not in labor we try to plan something fun. I figure we'll make the most of the time when I only have one kiddo to keep track of and can get out of the house with ease. Plus the weather this week has been beautiful with high temperatures in the mid 70's! This week we went to the Natural History Museum, the Zoo, a play place called Monkey Mania, took a tour of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory with our play group (a highlight for me), and made a few trips to the park. Here are some pictures:

The Natural History Museum with Dylan's best friend Hunter from his preschool class.

Giant statues

Swing time with Dad

Park Fun

At the park Saturday Dylan made a new friend named Kylie

Here Dylan's trying to hold Kylie's hand to help her up the slide

Dylan's first time wearing his helmet and using the scooter outside of the house

Lobo cutie
Taking a break from scooter fun to try to feed the neighbor cat some sticks :) Luckily the cat is nice and only ran away when Dylan made his signature Dinosaur noises at it.

New Car!

Yesterday we bought this Van! Scott and I have been wanting a van for a long time and had looked into it several times, but never committed or found exactly what we wanted until now. Our Jeep had 161,000 miles and was not the reliable family car we were looking for. We traded it in for a beautiful 2007 Honda Odyssey with only 22,000 miles. Scott already installed both car seats and our bags are packed. Now we truly are ready. Here are a couple more pictures:

Mom's Night Out

Last night I had the nice treat of getting a Manicure & Pedicure with a group of other Mom's. It was so fun and relaxing. Plus now I will have beautiful nails when Austin makes his grand entrance. One of the Mom's brought a table and we all brought yummy snacks and drinks to enjoy while we talked afterward. I made chocolate covered strawberries. My favorite! Here is a picture of me after I got home. I tried to match the pose to the picture Scott took when I was pregnant with Dylan at 36.5 weeks. I was thinking back and nearly on the same day of my pregnancy with Dylan I had a pedicure and got a haircut for a fun & relaxing spa day. It seems 36 weeks is perfect for pampering in preparation for my little ones. I definitely feel loved and appreciated for enduring the discomforts of pregnancy!

36.5 Weeks

Comparison

I've carried both my boys the same. All in front like a basketball. I feel bigger this time and much more pressure, but I think it is actually close to the same. I think that I've glamorized my pregnancy with Dylan in my mind over the past 3 years.

What a Beautiful Day!

I am so thankful for my Dylan! He is such a sweet and perceptive boy. Most days the first thing he says when we come downstairs is, "What a beautiful day." How can you not start your day with a smile after that? Even if we follow that moment by a crying fit because he is not allowed to watch a movie or eat graham crackers for breakfast we usually start off on a positive note. Dylan is becoming more of a preschooler now than a toddler. He tests Scott and I daily on his limits, and is becoming more and more independent. His favorite thing for some time now has been Dinosaurs. At home he is very good at imaginary play and makes up entertaining dialog for each dinosaur. Even in his preschool class his teachers are shocked and amazed by knowledge of dinosaurs. No surprise we will be having a Dinosaur themed birthday party next month when our little man turns 3! Since I hadn't posted in a long time I went through and picked my 10 favorite Dylan shots. I love seeing the different parts of his personality that each picture portrays.

Handsome Mr. Blue Eyes

Falling asleep mid prayer at nap time

Dino fun in the snow

Future Rock Star singing with Rock Band on New Years Eve at
Uncle Michael & Aunt Mandy's house

Kisses for cousin Alyssa
(He is going to be such a good Big Brother soon)

Playtime in the dump truck

Wheeee!

Can't catch me Pops!

Daddy's little helper

Story time!
Next to Dinosaurs books are Dylan's second favorite thing. Thanks to many of his older cousins hand me downs and family gifts we have a library of kids books that is quite impressive.

Thanks for tuning in for this Dylanmania post. Stay turned for updates on our growing family...

Room Change!

I'm back and I have lots to post so I'll be posting a few posts to catch up. I promised months ago to post a picture of my belly. I took this picture at the time, but it is far outdated now taken at 27 weeks. I am now 36 weeks and very large (sorry I didn't take a picture). Here is the picture and a comparison to my 27 week belly with Dylan.

Comparison to 1st pregnancy

I hadn't imported any pictures from my camera since October! Yikes! So when I connected the camera there were 287 new pictures to sort through. What have we been up to you may ask......? First we traveled to Phoenix after Thanksgiving and then to Portland after Christmas through the new year. When we got home I went into super nesting mode. We moved Dylan to his new Big boy room upstairs and then painted and set up the nursery downstairs for baby Austin. Oh we've decided on the name Austin Michael for our new little guy. I've also organized closets, bathroom drawers, you name it. I've also hosted a couple fun play dates for Dylan. I've been such a busy body that I started having some contraction like cramping a couple weeks ago. Since it is too early for his arrival I am now restricted to taking it easy and resting as much as possible. Here are pictures of the boys new rooms. Enjoy and check back soon! It may only be another week or two until we have a new birthday to celebrate. We'll see...

Dylan's New Room

Austin's Room